Monday, 8 May 2017

Otters in the Bay

On a calm day, we can see if there are otters in the bay below the house, and it's then a matter of....

....getting down to the bay as quickly as possible and, moving cautiously and only when the otters are under water, making our way to the end of the headland and hiding behind a rock.

One morning early, a few days ago, our efforts were well rewarded, but not entirely in the way we had expected. The otters behaved perfectly, one of them catching a large crab and, because they have difficulty dealing with large prey out in the open water, bringing it to land, with the other otter in hot pursuit.

They came out onto the rocks but, instead of setting about their meal, they hesitated, and then....

....started to move towards the water, stopping to look back....

....even when they were in the water, as if the land was really where they wanted to be.

I assumed that they must have heard the click of the camera but then....

....something else attracted our attention, something which the otters had spotted long before us.

Mink are cheeky. We've had mink approach us when we were picnicking on the beach, and this one looked as if, having lost a crab meal, he was intent on checking us out instead.

He stopped just below where we were, and looked up at us. We stood up, and he turned and headed into a heap of boulders.

About Kilchoan

Kilchoan is a remote Scottish crofting village at the westernmost end of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, a two-hour drive to the west of Fort William. Its white houses are strung like pearls around a wide bay, looking out across the Sound of Mull to Tobermory. The year-round population of the village itself is just over a hundred, but this diary writes about all the villages of western Ardnamurchan, including Portuairk, Sanna, Achosnich, Achnaha and Kilmory.

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Copyright: All photos were taken by Jon Haylett unless otherwise acknowledged. Individuals are free to copy and use all Jon's photos and words under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike Licence v3.0, terms here. If you use any of the pictures please give an attribution and a link to the Kilchoan Diary. Media should check with Jon on kilchoandiary@btinternet.com

Contributionsare welcomed from both local residents and visitors. Contact Jon Haylett at kilchoandiary@btinternet.com - no attachments with the first email please.

The author of A Kilchoan Diary is Jon Haylett. To read more about him, click here, and to see some of his most popular photographs, click here.

Otters Holt Holiday Cottage, Kilchoan

Situated in the village of Kilchoan and on a hilltop facing south with panoramic views over the Sound of Mull, this comfortable and spacious accommodation sleeps up to six. Set in an acre and a half of ground, wildlife sightings, including pine martens, are common. Click on the picture for full details.

Croft Apartment, Kilchoan

Peaceful and spacious upstairs apartment in traditional croft house in Kilchoan, with stunning views across Kilchoan Bay to Mull. Within easy walking distance of the Tobermory ferry and Kilchoan shop. Self-contained, with own garden, central heating, linen, electricity included. Sleeps 2/3. To book, click on the picture.